The Chicago Bulls came into the playoffs on a hot streak and were playing some of their best basketball in the final month of the regular season. However, with a chance to extend their season in front of their home fans, they had one of their worst games of the season. The Bulls got crushed by the Miami Heat 109-90 on Wednesday in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and their season is now over.
Coby White has been a mainstay on this Bulls squad for a couple of years now, but his team didn't bring its A-game in this one. After the game, White didn't hold back on the matchup between the two teams according to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network.
“We didn’t have game-plan discipline,” White said, per Johnson. “And they were the better team tonight.”
White didn't have his best stuff on Wednesday, and that was one of the primary contributors to the Bulls' struggles offensively. The North Carolina product finished the game with just 17 points on 5-for-20 shooting in 42 minutes. He also knocked down just 3-of-12 from 3-point range.
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None of White's teammates were really able to pick up the slack, and that allowed the Heat to run away with things in the first half led by a perfect first half from Tyler Herro.
Despite this loss, which is certainly a bitter pill to swallow, the Bulls have reasons for optimism heading into the offseason. Rookie Matas Buzelis grew a lot during the season and ended up as one of the top first-year players in basketball this season. White is a building block for the Bulls as well, and Josh Giddey had the best season of his career in his first year in Chicago.
All of that is simply a distant consolation for the Bulls at the moment, and White's frustration after the game shows that. Either way, this team is on an upward trajectory as the 2024-25 season comes to an end.
